Saturday, July 16, 2011

Plugs and Graphite

Here we are again in handcuffs. Do the rest of you wonder who put a burr under Jenny's blanket and rubbed her the wrong way?? Now on the other hand, thank you all for your encouraging and funny comments this last week. To write well enough to entertain and keep the reader hooked is nice. Now with the ascribed  miserly 25 words, here goes Saturday Centus .............  fill in the enoumous blanks.


Ultra light graphite doubled throbbing against the "really nice" bass digging deeper. Impatient to slip on down the bank, "PLEASE, lip it; I'm not getting any younger here."

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Milk, Eggs, Bread AND .....

Hurry .... HURRY! We don't have time to dawdle, COME ON!!  Our list is really really long!!!! Racing up one aisle and down the next, shopping with preteen boys in tow is like herding cats. O.K., o.k., if you will  promise to stay in this department for 10 minutes and not cause a problem, I can get most of these things. PROMISE, boys!! "We're not babies, MOM." "I'll be right back."

"Would the mother of Brad, Josh and Cooper please come to aisle 17", blasted through the store giving her a start. Skidding to a stop "BOYS! What ARE you doing ??!!??" "Letting the tarantulas play together." "And the sign reads WHAT?" "But we didn't put our hands in the tank. We turned them over!"

Sunday, July 3, 2011

That Starry Starry Night

Through the window, a deep, dark, velvet blue sky seemed filled with luminescent twinkling stars. Their light reflecting in the water of the bay. A breeze slipped out of the north creating a pleated ruffle across the surface. Fields of grass waved and bobbed in the insistent currents. The thunderous booming persisted. He sat there in the darkness awed by the spectacle wondering "How did I come to be here?" and "How will this end ?" "How long can we survive such barbaric violence?"

Picking up the pen, looked out the window again in the perdawn hours ..... the booming star burst flashes lite up the darkened sky and the waving Stars and Stripes,  he wrote ... "Oh,say can you see  ........... "   

 

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Really, are you kidding??

When your evil mind takes hold and limit me to such confinememts .... you get what you get!!!! Saturday Centus in 62 words .... meany!!!!! Let me loose!!!!!!!!!

All my life fighting kinky curly hair. Yes, yes ..... those with straight want curly and well .... Humidity is the culprit. You can actually feel "it" moving up your neck and then "Frizzzzzzaaaaa"!! Every product known to man had been tried. NOW there is you and and sleek managable hair. NO FRIZ!! I unabashedly love love love you dear dear dear John Frieda!!!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Garden of Discovery

It had been a laborious 7 years realizing the garden before her, bringing a smile. Enjoying her morning tea on the secreted bench against the stone wall, she allowed a memory to surface. He had been a "grass" man. Well trimmed and mowed green lawns without obstructions were his goal.  However, January 22, 2000, the day before their 35th wedding anniversary that had all changed without warning.

Pull the covers over her head and hide .... how can this be .... cannot tolerate being in this bed, this room .... he had layed next to her .... touched her .... loved her .... held her .... kissed her .... whispered with her. All of this NEVER to happen again. The touch of his hand on hers or the arm casually thrown across and drawing her close in the middle of the night. Paint, rearrange the furniture, then she could return to that bed. Perhaps, sleeping in the middle of the king size bed would work. Everyone said "give it time" ... time to what ... not hurt .... her heart not to squeeze.

When she'd always been someones daughter, next a wife, then a mother, that person she was intending to be was left far behind as she became all the pieces required to achieve the present goals and other's needs: mate, housekeeper, cook, laundress, chauffeur, accountant, judge, friend, doctor, receptionist, secretary, event planner, controller of all things .... and on and on and on. The sudden realization that without notification she have, essentially, been fired. O.K., not fired but what? NO more need for breakfast or anything.    

So, now what? The first few years are numbingly painful. No one feels comfortable with what to say or not, for fear of upsetting her. What "they" don't realize is skirting the subject makes her want to go home. The inevitable finally happens .... many ole "friends"/acquaintances [couples] drop her from the invitation list. A few are persistant ... we are going to the concert, no is not an acceptable answer.Then there was the cruise,; when everything about her said NO, she heard herself saying yes.

Just about the time she thinks the worse has happened, lightening strikes .... literally. Well, of course, why not. What was that about control .... we have NONE!!!! So, there it is, plain as the nose on your face, take a tac, any tac ....DO SOMETHING! Repairs complete, just need to address the porch and the yard.

He said it so casually it almost was lost in the conversation .... "that will be $10,000 for the stone porch and walk"."Well, I'll get back to you." Was he out of his mind?. At that moment, she made a conscious decision. Grass - Garden - Grass - Garden ..... oh, and I can create the stone work with "my boulders". Work began in earnest in 2003. The hidden artist began to creep into the conscious with a vision. Today, look at this ..... the only thing lacking are birdhouses for the garden friends. Funny, she is creating one of a kind nesting at the pottery studio.

So, the bench against the stone wall for morning tea .... in the garden..... with the birds, squirrels, and fish ... you bet fish .... she put in a small 70 gallon pond for Magellan and Galileo. Still finding, trying on. traveling, catering, writing, fishing. OH, AND, the newest .... adopting a toss away puppy .... haven't told Finnegan [10 year old green eyed, grey tabby cat]. Her life had been based on deep, abiding, accepting love..... somethings never change. However, the artist has crept into every aspect of her life .... she was going to be an artist!!!! It only took 11 years ... one would think she was slow ..... well, it did take 7 years to create the garden.     

Monday, June 20, 2011

Stone Circles - Part II

Dear Jenny and Saturday Centus contributors,
Please forgive my affrontery; I just wanted to see where this would go. Still have a few problems with comments. Ames .... Holy Cow, Wow!!! and several others. Jeff, guess I could just pick up the phone .... thank you for this one. And so, my contribution ..... #26, I think.


Lowering himself to the ground, sat cross legged in front of her in the sweltering afternoon. From his trickle soaked shirt, he drew something from the pocket extending an open hand. Finnegan, looking for another ear scratch, nuzzled his fingers. Little Sister, fully awake now, puzzled over the object. "Remember the stories we read about the people long, long ago in Europe when there were Mammoths and Cave Bears?" "Ayla?" "Right, well, what do you see?"  Pulling the cat up into her lap, they all stared as she turned it over in her hand, "It looks kinda like a horse scratched within the stone. Oh, Father, where did you find this?" 

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Water Lily War


Magellan and Galileo reside in a 70 gallon fresh water world plunked is a terrace just about a foot above the garden floor. A visitor inquired "Is that a Spring feeding the pond?" What a complement .... roots and log with water spilling down contrived to look natural .... what a complement!! Of course, the fish don't know it isn't a natural pond in a meadow or the woods.There they are hiding, darting here and there, lazily wandering about nosing the surface; and for whatever reason, feel the need to toss out onto the garden floor whatever water lily they are given to decorate their space. This phenomenon occurs every time the plant is submerged. Whether alone or together, the roots are gnawed to a nub, then vigorously ejected unceremoniously.

In the beginning, there was concern that night creatures [Raccoons, Opossums or whatever] were attempting to raid their home.  As there has been no loss of life, apparently the two captives have decided to clean house no matter how persistent the decorator. Sitting back watching, they skim the surface for mosquito larvae making bubbles then with a flip of the tail sounding to the bottom to circle the up ended log. From time to time, a toad comes for a visit. However, the birds are the true entertainment. The water catches in the cupped out hollows as it runs down the log to drop into the pond below. These hollows allow the birds to fling water about as they bath daily. Hopping up and back down the run they sip as though looking for the right taste. Funny how time seems to rest itself in the garden's life not wanting to intrude but wishing to linger. Squirrels and chipmunks scurry to refresh themselves before digging for last years buried walnut or scavenge the cast seeds from under the feeders. Butterflies visiting the pond certainly give "themselves" a thrill with thoughts of a snack. Instead, they settle on the wet log to revitalize.

This little ecosystem definitely has a life and mind of it's own; but, the ideas of water lilies blooming in the shallow corner creeps into the overall plan. Wonder if "they" have forgotten. Wonder if it might be different this time. Wonder if ....... soon, really soon .... White Water Lilies ...  now that would be nice. Ah ha, the challenge begins again.